A resident of Windsor's Ward 4 is upset with the approach the city has taken for the annual ward meetings that began Tuesday night.
For some meetings, the city is bringing together multiple councillors for a shared meeting.
Rosanna DeMarco said she finds the new approach unstructured.
"I just find it strange that three different councillors are going to be subjected to being in the same room together, and all the citizens, it could be chaotic and loud, and people will have their side conversations. As well as the actual questions that someone will be asking a council, they're going to hear repeats," she said.
DeMarco said she likes to be engaged in city issues.
"This open house style doesn't work for a person like myself. I prefer like a real town hall where we're seated and it's a lot more structured, you know, the person is giving a microphone, and again, just having a chair to sit down on. I really don't find it appropriate that we'll have to wait in line at some of these," DeMarco said.
She said because of council's current start time of 10 a.m. for meetings, it's hard for herself and others to be engaged because of work.
"Mayor Drew Dilkens is a wonderful mayor, the council, they're all wonderful councillors, but we need to have the time to actually sit down and hear one another out," said DeMarco.
DeMarco said she plans on attending other ward meetings than her own and will bring up her concern of how the new ward meetings are structured.
When asked to comment on this story, the city released the following statement to AM800 News:
"To ensure meaningful engagement and make the best use of time and resources, the City in consultation with council has made the decision to combine some Ward Meetings this year. The Mayor will provide opening remarks to all attendees, and Councillors will be available to speak directly with their constituents. City staff will also be on hand to answer questions and provide information on the programs, services, and initiatives that are city-wide and apply to all wards, and to also provide support for ward-specific questions and inquiries. These meetings follow the same open house format used in previous years. Venues chosen for combined meetings provide ample space to accommodate all participants."
The remainder 2025 ward meetings are as follows: